For artists and art fans in Bozeman and beyond

Monthly Archives: June 2011

Outside Bozemanhas announced their 3rd Annual 2011 Photo Contest: a great opportunity for local outdoor photographers to showcase their work and get their name out there. Winning photos are displayed in O/B as well as on the stock image site, WildWestPhotos.com. Not to mention the opportunity to get a share of $500 cash from Wild West Photos, $500 in camera gear from Bozeman Camera & Repair, and piles of outdoor gear and gift cards from local shops and eateries. Whether snapping photos is your profession or just a hobby, three separate divisions – Professional, Amateur, and Junior (17 & under) – allow everyone to take their best shot.

“I Love the Emerson” PARTY! PARTY! PARTY! Appreciation Night & Party Wednesday, June 22nd The Entire Emerson! Join the us for the unveiling of our new logo/brand, the opening of our new contemporary ceramics gallery, the opening of our new community art library and view our new ceramics exhibit in the Jessie Wilber Gallery!

The Hooligans will be playing in the ballroom with yummy food from the Emerson Grill and a no-host bar by the Zebra!

There will be a meet-and-greet with our board of directors from 6pm to 7pm and we will be giving away free cd’s of our tenant musicians including Stuart Weber, Bridger Strings, Mark Logan and Chet Leach!

Altitude Gallery is pleased to present “Downtown Bozeman”, a collection of original oil paintings by longtime Bozeman resident, June Billings Safford. There will be an Artist’s Reception during the Art Walk on July 8 from 6-8pm. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Safford, born in Brooklyn, NY, moved to Bozeman forty years ago. She has since retired from a teaching career in the English department at Bozeman High. As a painter, the West has come alive for Safford with an eye to the rural settings and a plenitude of nature. Her latest focus brings Safford back to her urban roots as she explores the unique architecture of downtown Bozeman. She is drawn to the historic buildings as well as some of the newer downtown additions. “I’ve watched Bozeman become more and more beautiful as it sheds its sixties fronts” says the artist. “I hope those who view these paintings will form an even firmer appreciation for our vibrant downtown.” Safford’s paintings will be showing in the gallery July 8-August 8.

Altitude Gallery has been showcasing contemporary art in the Gallatin Valley for six years, and in downtown Bozeman for over four years. Owner Amy Kirkland says “June so perfectly captures the lively feel of our wonderful downtown. She has included some real gems in this complete body of work. I would encourage anyone with a love of architecture, art, or downtown Bozeman to stop in the gallery to see their favorite building done in June’s expressive style.”

Altitude Gallery is located in the heart of historic downtown Bozeman, MT at 134 E. Main St. Voted Bozeman’s Best Art Gallery in 2010 and 2011. Open 10-6 Mon.-Sat. and 10-3 Sun. www.altitudegallerybozeman.com

Glass artist Kathy Burk and oil painter Kitty Whitehouse will be displaying new work during the month of July at the Artists’ Gallery in The Emerson. Join the artists at a wine and cheese reception on the evening of Friday, July 8th from 5-8 p.m., during the Bozeman Downtown Art Walk.

This spring, Kathy Burk has been experimenting with layers of color influenced by surrounding rivers and streams. Looking through the water into the riverbed she is fascinated with the patterns you can see while observing this force of nature. Burk has captured the natural depth and distortion of the rivers with layers of glass and found items from these waterways. Her kiln formed pieces were created by layering many colors creating designs that represent different species of fish found in the area.

Kitty Whitehouse loves painting wildlife in oils. She often travels to national parks in North America and East Africa to observe wildlife in its habitat first hand, and to attain her own reference photos. Now in the Bozeman area, Whitehouse has found plenty to paint close to home as well. She is a signature member of the Artists for Conservation group, where a percentage of her sales are donated to non-profit environmental organizations to help protect wildlife and habitats.

Mika Holtzinger, recently moved to Montana, will present at the Zoot Art Gallery her most recent series, Losing Color: large scale paintings that celebrate the beauty and mystery of different species and their ecosystems. An opening reception will be held Thursday, July 7th from 5 to 8 PM, located at the Zoot Art Gallery, 555 Zoot Enterprises Lane, Bozeman, MT 59718. The work will be on exhibit July thru October. The Zoot Art Gallery is open from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Holtzinger, a contemporary wildlife painter, began her collegiate studies in the Midwest, graduating with a bachelor of fine arts from Wichita State University in Kansas. She also studied in Italy at the International School of Painting, Drawing and Sculpture before receiving her masters from the University of Oregon, in Eugene. Over the past ten years, Holtzinger has worked in many genres. She layers pencils, paints, inks, and pastels in such a way that the surfaces seem to almost vibrate. In her recent work she has abandoned the structure of traditional paintings, “I wanted this work to have a feeling of a tapestry or a flag rather than a painting. Years ago, I lived in a Buddhist ‘temple’ for a summer. It was a special place that housed traveling Tibetan monks but also rented safe and serene rooms to women. My fondest memories of living there are sitting in the prayer room and admiring the long, brilliant, hand painted prayer flags. I still feel connected to those images. This was my inspiration for using cloth as my surface and the scroll as my template.”

The natural world has always motivated Holtzinger, over the last few years her work has focused on creatures which pollinate, mostly birds and bees. ‘Losing Color’, marks a new direction for the artist. “I was doing research on animal totems for a series of paintings I was working on, the more I studied about different animals and their biomes, the more I became aware of threatened and endangered species … the more I learned, the more I felt my work had to focus on these issues”. Holtzinger often refers to herself as a ‘steward’ to nature, someone who is tending and protecting the place where she lives. Her images not only observe nature and the interconnectedness between species but also arouse reverence for her subjects. “I strive to make work that inspires people to more intricately bond with their environment, in hopes of forming a deeper appreciation for their surroundings”.